The Rise of General Naruto Uzumaki
by DarthRedbeard
Summary: When Naruto is banished from his home, he flees west to the port cities and eventually makes a name for himself as a general in a new army. But as Civil War looms in this new nation, he must do his best to help is commander assume the throne. Set in my universe.
1. Exile

Deep within the heart of the Dragon Empire, a young teen was running from his home. Hours ago, he was banished for failing to stop his friend from running off to one of his villages enemies to seek more power. Even though he tried to bring his friend back without killing him, he was defeated and almost killed as a result.

For weeks he was in the hospital recovering from his injuries. The first week he was in a coma, drifting between life and death. Every time he would drift close to death, something kept him from going to the light.

When he finally woke up, he found that he was covered in bandages. Getting up, he found himself in his least favorite place in the whole village. The hospital.

"Glad to see you awake," a voice to his left said. He turned to see who the speaker was, only to find that it was Shikamaru Nara, the leader of the failed mission. "Then again with the injuries you too I'm amazed to see you alive, Naruto."

"You try having a Chidori shoved in your chest then," Naruto replied. He continued to look around and saw a few cards and some flowers by his bed. The first card was from his sensei, Kakashi Hatake, hoping for him to get well and eat his vegetables to get stronger.

The next card was from many of the rookie teams. Team 10 had brought a basket filled with fruit and some ramen. Team Guy had given him a new jumpsuit. Many of them cringed at the color of it. Team 8 had gotten him some flowers with a hand written get well card from Hinata. The only card not there from the rookies was from his remaining teammate, Sakura.

"How's everyone doing?" Naruto asked.

"Neji and Choji are in worse shape but starting to recover more," Shikamaru began. "Kiba will be in bed for a while. I only broke a finger due to a genjutsu. Lee will be OK, but Tsunade did learn to never let Lee have sake."

"So everyone will be OK?" Naruto couldn't keep the fear out of his voice. He had gained many friends and the thought of losing anymore scared him.

"Everyone will be fine," Shikamaru confirmed. "Just so you know, the reason Sakura never came to visit you is because she blames herself for what happened. When Kakashi-sensei told her what happened, she asked for us to tell you that she's sorry for it."

Just then, the door opened to reveal Hinata with a bouquet of flowers. Her face was down, hiding her blush as she entered the room.

"Hi, Hinata," Naruto said softly. His voice would go from very loud to quiet when she was around. She was one of the few people who he always spoke to when something bothered him.

"H-h-h-hell-o, N-Nar-uto," she stuttered. "H-how are y-you?" Naruto frowned and told her the truth, knowing she could catch him lying very well.

"Not good," he replied. "I failed the mission."

"T-t-that m-means you'll j-just have to try h-harder n-n-next time," Hinata told him, hoping to find a way to cheer him up. It seemed to work as Naruto began to show a small smile.

"You're right, Hinata." Naruto agreed. Hinata smiled as Naruto slowly began to feel better.

Shikamaru, who had been watching the entire scene play out, smirked at the two. He was on of the few that knew about Naruto's soft spot for the Hyuga heiress. He had a feeling that Naruto's crush on Sakura had only been part of the mask he wore to protect Hinata from the villagers hate.

Before anything else could be said, the door opened up to reveal Tsunade and the Shinobi half of the Konoha council. All with grim looks on their faces. The ones that seemed to hold the most grim expressions were Tsunade and Hiashi, Hinata's father.

"Naruto," Tsunade began. "We've just came from the council meeting over what happened on the mission. I'm sorry but the civilian council has demanded for your banishment for failing to bring Sasuke back. All the shinobi side and the elders rejected the idea, but they did something that even I can't stop." All three teens were shocked. Shikamaru was wondering how they went over the hokage. Hinatas eyes began to water. Naruto however, was beginning to feel betrayed.

"What do you mean they did something that you couldn't stop?" Naruto asked, trying not to open up his wound.

"They brought the Emperor into this mess," Hiashi began. "The Hyuga did their best to counter what they did, but they even went one step further. They even brought out a marriage contract that they forged but got full support from the Emperor himself. The contract was for the heir to the Dragon Empire to be married to the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan." Hiashi looked away as he said that last part, not wanting to see his daughter's sad face. He knew that Hinata had a major crush on Naruto. He was fully ready to even have the two of them court each other when they got older, but now all those plans were gone, ruined by the civilian side of the council.

Hinata finally burst out in tears and latched onto Naruto. Naruto held her, not knowing how else to help her feel better. From what he knew, the heir was at least eight years older than all the teens his age group and was also known for doing many unspeakable things to women. Now it seemed like Hinata would be his next target.

"What's going to happen now?" Shikamaru asked.

"The Emperor has sent the Dragon Army to enforce his will," Shikaku explained. "They'll force Naruto to leave even if he isn't fully healed."

"He's been healed enough to get away from here before they arrive," Tsunade explained. "We just have to get him out without people knowing." The clan heads began to help Naruto up and carried him out the door, Shikamaru and Hinata following them.

As they neared the first corner, Tsunade stopped and tapped on the wall, opening a secret passage.

"This was built by both Jiraiya and Orochimaru after I had to take care of them here," she began. "After their appointment with me, whenever they heard I was their doctor, they always got away from the regular staff, but I always knew where they would go."

After five minutes, they arrived at the outskirts of the village, where all of Naruto's friends were waiting to say goodbye.

"Take care, Naruto!" they exclaimed as they all gave him a hug bye before heading back to the village. Soon the only ones left were Naruto, Hinata, Lee, and Tenten.

"Take care out there, Naruto," Tenten said. "It won't be the same here."

"NARUTO!: Lee yelled out in both excitement and tears. "BE SURE TO COME BACK VERY STRONG SO ONE DAY WE CAN FULLY SPAR!" Tenten soon put her hand on Lee's mouth to quiet him down.

"Will do, Bushy Brows," Naruto said, using his nickname for Lee. Lee smiled.

Hinata didn't know what to say. All she could do was watch as her love got ready to leave. Before she even knew what she was doing, she went up and kissed Naruto right on the lips.

At first Naruto was shocked, not sure what to think. He soon wrapped his arms around Hinata and kissed her back. As the kiss deepened, neither one wanted to let the other go, but the demand for air became too much. As they broke about, Hinata decided to finally let her feelings be fully known.

"No matter what happens," she whispered. "My heart will always belong to you, Naruto." She kissed him one last time before Lee and Tenten escorted her back to the village.

Now all alone, Naruto began to run. No destination in mind. All his gut was telling him was to head west to the ports and get on the first ship he could. No one knew it, but Naruto's destiny was about to take form from a new exile to a great general and eventually, the Hokage he wanted to be.


	2. Beginning a New Path

**Reviews from Chapter one and my replies to them**

 **Bankai777:** **Will Naruto learn the Hiraishin** **.**

 **He might. It all depends on a certain perverted hermit.**

 **Rose Tiger: Don't make Hinata marry that bratty prince! Please let her go with Naruto!**

 **They'll reunite one day. And when they do, Hinata and Naruto will kill that prince.**

 **DNA2337: Here you go. Lol. I can't think of chapters on the fly.**

 **Well that was the reviews. Now on with the story**

 **Naruto: About time! I want to get back to my Hinata!**

 **Hinata: Naruto don't worry. Even though it might take a few years, we'll see each other again in the story.**

 **Author: That's correct, Hinata. Now let's get back to work**

As Naruto continued running, he could sense many different signatures behind him. None of them seemed familiar meaning it could be more members of the Akatsuki or the Dragon Army themselves had ninja's that were pursuing him, determined to kill him or capture him to use for their Emperor.

"Like they can catch me," Naruto said to himself, jumping into the tree's before continuing on. It would be another month or so before he made it to the ports that led west so his only hope was to try and stay hidden as he hoped to find a new home. With the Dragon Army after him and greedy Civilian Council members plotting ways to get rid of him, he could no longer stay in one place anymore.

As Naruto jumped into a clearing, he heard another sound of a person jumping near him. As he prepared to attack the newcomer, he was stopped by that person grabbing his arm.

"Calm yourself, Naruto," a familiar voice said. Naruto turned to see Jiraiya smiling at him.

"Pervy Sage!" Naruto exclaimed, hugging his teacher, trying to not show his tears.

"How you holding up, kid?" Jiraiya asked, returning the hug. He was also beginning to cry, but held his tears in better than Naruto. They broke the hug before the atmosphere turned serious.

"Why are you, Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked. "Come to take me back home?"

"No way, Naruto," Jiraiya replied. "I'm actually here to help you get to the port cities much quicker so you won't be captured. I arranged a meeting with a captain who will take you out of here as fast as he can. He takes refugees from everywhere and brings them to a new home."

"So, you're helping me?" Naruto wondered. He knew that Jiraiya was loyal to the Leaf Village, but never knew how loyal. "But what about the village?"

"They can rot for all I care," Jiraiya said. "They lost the Will of Fire when they decided to sell the village to the Dragon Empire. Right now, the Dragon Army is most likely entering the village and already enforcing their Emperor's will."

"So what can we do?" Naruto asked.

"First thing we need to do is get you out of here," Jiraiya answered. "I know a few captains that are taking refugee's to other places for them to live away from everything. He's agreed to take you somewhere as well."

"Where though?" Naruto had many question, but Jiraiya just put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and in a flash, both were gone and reappeared next to a ship that was getting ready to set sail.

"There you are, Jiraiya," a voice said. They both turned to see the captain walking towards them. "Is this the young passenger?"

"Yes he is," Jiraiya answered. "I hope you can get him past the Dragon and Imperial Blockades."

"So far not a single Dragon ship has been able to catch me and the Imperial Navy always let's me by when I'm transporting people to somewhere away from the troubles of their home."

"What's going on?" Naruto questioned, still not catching on to what they were saying.

"What's going to happen Naruto," Jiraiya began. "Is that this man and his crew are going to get you someplace safe. Away from the council and the Dragon armies. The destination is a place called the Imperial Empire."

"One of the craziest names around," the Captain said. "A really redundant name but the citizens always laugh about it. They've just stuck with calling themselves Imperials from now on."

"So what do I do when I get there?" Naruto asked.

"You can do many things there," Jiraiya explained. "You could join the Imperial forces, try to run a business, be a farmer, cook, just about anything. I know those clones of yours could help out any job that's short on manpower."

"So no need for ninja?"

"You never know."

Before Naruto could reply the ship's bell rang, signaling for the crew to be ready to depart.

"Take care, Naruto," Jiraiya said, sad to see his student have to leave.

"You too, Pervy Sage," Naruto gave Jiraiya another hug. As he pulled away, Jiraiya gave Naruto a scroll with his name on it.

"It's from your parents," That was all Jiraiya said before leaping away. Naruto boarded the ship just as the crew was ready to cast off.

"Set sail for Los York!" Ordered the captain. Naruto went below deck as the ship set sail. He stopped at his bunk and opened up the scroll. As he read the contents, he dropped it in shock.

He quickly grabbed the scroll again and began reading.

'Dear Naruto,

If you're reading this, than you've became a chunin or something bad has happened, but let's hope it's the first one. My name is Minato Namikaze. I'm sure you've heard of my name in your classes about me being the Fourth Hokage. I'm also going to tell you something else. You're my son, Naruto. I'm sure you have lots of questions, but I can only write down a small amount as the Nine Tails is getting closer to the village. I'm hoping you will be viewed as the savior or the village. Remember to train hard and do your best. Your mom hopes that will you become a great ninja, but I think you'll become a great Hokage. Here's hoping that you'll become what you want and have a nice family. Also, tell Hiashi that I won. We agreed that if I had a son and he had a daughter, they would be engaged after birth. He kept saying that you will turn out to be a girl just to make me pull my hair out in fear of your mother. He knew he was having a daughter so we agreed to make the contract. It should protect both of you.

With love,

Your father Minato Namikaze'

All Naruto could do was look in shock at the letter, not knowing what to thank. He was glad to finally know who his father was, but was angry due to the fact that the person who would one day be his wife was taken away from him.

"I will return one day," Naruto began. "And when I do, I will become Hokage and due my best to end the injustice done to everyone." If only Naruto knew that his journey to become Hokage will lead him into some of the bloodiest wars he had ever seen.


	3. Meeting a New Teacher

Naruto looked out at the city they were docking in. It was much larger than Konoha, with one of the largest ports he had ever seen. He saw soldiers walking along the docks, making sure all the cargo was secure and loaded onto the correct ships. Ordinary people were walking around greeting others in ways Naruto had never seen before.

"Excuse me," Naruto turned to see a man with dark red hair and a small red beard growing on his face. He was around twenty one years old, carrying a sword another strange weapon Naruto had never seen before. On his shoulder was a blue patch with gold trim. In his right hand was his hat, black with gold trim around the base of the middle part.

"Are you lost?" The man continued to ask.

"Kind of," Naruto began. "I just got off the ship and have no idea where to go."

"Looks like we're both having trouble,' the man replied. "I'm on the lookout for someone by the name of Naruto Uzumaki. I was to take him to the nearest depot." Naruto could only stare in shock at the man.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto said, unsure of this man.

"Lieutenant James Matthew Cunningham of the Imperial Eastern Army, 1st Corps, 16th Infantry brigade." Matthew introduced himself. "Your teacher stopped by here a couple of days ago and told me about you. He was going to bring you here when you began training, but from what I was told, you were banished, right?"

"Why would Jiraiya tell you about me?" Naruto asked. He was still unsure of what this man wanted. For all he knew, he could've been sent to send him back to be executed.

"He told me enough," Matthew answered. They walked into a small building with targets set up all around. "I'm going to find out what you're capable of."

"OK," Naruto replied. "But how do you want me to do it?"

Matthew said nothing and drew his strange weapon from his side. He pointed it at one of the targets and as soon as his finger that was in the small hole at the bottom of it's barrel, it let out a loud bang. Naruto watched in amaze as he fired five more shots from it, all hitting the targets on the head.

"Just show me how well you can hit the targets with your weapons," Matthew told him, emptying his gun before putting more bullets in the cylinder. Naruto nodded and threw his kunai, many of them hitting while a few missed.

"Not too bad," Matthew commented. "You could still use some work, but other than that, it's pretty good."

"I still can't hit all the targets," Naruto said, feeling disappointed. Matthew just looked at him.

"Not everyone can," Matthew began. "The reason I hit all of mine was because I practiced for years with this weapon."

"What weapon is that?" Naruto questioned.

"This is known as a pistol," Matthew explained. "We have different versions of this. Some can fire six shots like mine while others only fire one. It all depends on the officer. As you can see, I prefer the six shooter. One of my friends prefers a single shot pistol."

"So what are you going to do with me now?" Naruto wondered.

"I'm going to train you how to fight like an Imperial," Matthew answered. "While your ninja skills are great, you need to learn other ways to fight. Such as," Matthew drew his sword and swiped at Naruto's head. Naruto ducked and pulled out a kunai and did his best to block Matthew's swings. Naruto was pushed back right into a sword rack. He grabbed a sword and blocked more and swung back, only for Matthew to block every strike. Matthew swiped his foot under Naruto, causing him to fall on his back. Naruto looked up, only to see the tip of the blade pointed in his face.

"That is something you need to watch out for," Matthew suggested, putting his sword away and helping Naruto onto his feet.

"What makes you good with that sword?" Naruto asked.

"Besides training," Matthew began. "You must also have something that you want to fight for. For me, it's hope that one day these wars will be over and I'll be able to live in peace. For my king, it would be to unite the world under one banner and bring peace. What is something that you would fight for?"

Naruto thought hard on this question. For years, he always strove towards his dream of becoming Hokage. He said he would return to become Hokage, but what could he fight for. His thoughts then switched over towards and his friends and he smiled.

"I would fight for my friends," Naruto began. "For Shikamaru, the smartest person I had ever met. For Choji who shows that size doesn't matter. For Ino and her dreams. For my teammate Sakura so she can be with the one she loves. For Kiba, Shino, and Neji for helping me improve. For Lee and Tenten to show that you don't have to be from a major clan to be great. For Gaara to help him make more friends."

"There's someone else, is there?" Matthew asked.

"For Hinata," Naruto said, tears rolling down his eyes. "The one who always believed in me and loved me for who I was, not what I had." Naruto's eyes widened when he said this, worried Matthew would ask.

"Your sensi already told me what's inside of you," Matthew said. "Also, he told me what happened in your village."

 _Only a few hours had passed since Naruto escaped. The Civilian Council were demanding to know what happened but Tsunade and the Shinobi Council refused to answer. Before Tsunade could call for order, the doors burst open as Dragon troops entered the room, followed by the heir to the empire, Toneri._

" _Where is Uzumaki?" he asked, looking at the Shinobi Council._

" _They helped him escape," a civilian member said. Toneri looked sharply at the Hokage._

" _You had better find him and bring him back now," he ordered._

" _We can't," Tsunade countered. "By now he's boarded a ship that's on the way out of here for good."_

" _Then you had better hope we can find him and kill him no matter where he is," Toneri said. He began to walk away before turning back around. "I also have it on good faith that the other villages have broken treaties and even threatened war. I will be taking over this entire province. No village will be allowed to break off ties and will work for me." He walked out with his soldiers._

 _After Toneri had made his announcement, all of the villages had no choice but to follow his orders or risk having the Dragon Army wipe out their villages. However, they all knew the Konoha Civilian Council was to blame for all of the trouble."_

Naruto just stood there, not knowing what to say. He just looked towards his feet, worried for his friends. Matthew sighed, knowing that he had made Naruto more worried than he needed to be.

"We will save your home," Matthew said. "We just need to deal with these civil wars and then we can prepare for a war with the Dragon Empire. We just need time."

Naruto nodded and said, "When I return, Toneri, The Civilian Council, and anyone who keeps me from freeing my home will perish. I won't stop until the world is free from corruption."

"There will always be corruption," Matthew said. "We can just keep it from spreading." He walked out, Naruto following right behind, a new path being set in front of him. A path to where he would discover his destiny.


	4. First Battle

Months have passed since Naruto joined the Imperial Army. Matthew had taught Naruto how to use a sword in battle, but he has never had to use it yet. Matthew's men were always kept in reserve by orders of General John Phillip. John had wanted to keep one regiment in reserve and Matthew's men were always asked to be the reserves.

This annoyed Naruto to no end. He wanted to get out there and help win the war, but was always stuck watching as Imperial forces were sent reeling in retreat from the Knight Armies. Knight forces had invaded the Southern Imperial Provinces and gained a major foothold. Now with John not putting the full might of the army against them, they were able to win multiple battles against much smaller Imperial forces.

"Can't we do anything?" Naruto asked. John had ordered an attack on a Knight fort during the night. The attack had begun the way it was planned with Imperial twelve ponders opening up on the fort. As the bombardment ceased, the assault force marched out, only getting hit by the remaining Knight siege equipment. Flaming rocks traveled through the night sky as they landed on the columns of Imperial forces.

Matthew could only watch as his comrades were suffering in the field while he stood back and watched. He closed his eyes and listened as the bugles began to sound a retreat for many of the regiments. As he opened his eyes again, the rain began to pour.

"Looks like we'll have to deploy the reserves after all," Matthew said to his men. "Make sure the nipples to your guns are covered men. We'll uncover them when we get to the fort and unleash hell upon these invaders. We will take this fort or die trying."

Naruto's face brightened as he heard those words. Now he could show what he was capable of. Matthew mounted his horse and turned to the men.

"If I go forward, follow me," He began. "If I retreat, shoot me. If I die, avenge me. AVENGE ME!" He turned and began to ride towards the front line, his men marching behind him.

Naruto stayed close, knowing that when the fighting got fierce, Matthew would be in the middle of the action. He was a fighting officer, always leading his men from the front. Just the type of officer that he thought should be leading the Imperial Armies.

Drums sounded as the reserve force marched into battle, encountering their retreating comrades as they marched on. Seeing the reserves march on, they turned around and formed up behind them, marching back into the battle.

Just as they neared the fort, the first flaming rock hit the ground near the marching forces. Matthew's horse became startled and reared, knocking Matthew off, the horse running off. Matthew got up and turned to his men.

"Keep marching!" he shouted. He turned and began to march faster to the fort, the men following. Naruto ran up to the front ranks and ran into a trench that was in front of the fort, just as Matthew and his forces ran in, barely dodging the cannon fire that hit a few ranks of the Imperial forces.

"We're under their guns!" he exclaimed. "Uncover!" His men uncovered the nipples of the guns and charged out of the trench, firing at the Knight archers on the small wall of the fort.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed, as a large puff of smoke appeared on the field. What the Knights saw forced many of their recruits to retreat. The Naruto army charged over the wall and began to engage the Knight forces as more Imperials ran through the holes for the cannons, bayonets forward as they ran into the fort.

"Naruto!" Matthew yelled. "Take out that catapult!" Naruto nodded and charged forward, taking out the crew. Before he could got any further, he was stabbed in the leg by a Knight officer with a knife. Naruto howled out in pain, but took his sword and cut off the officers head, before collapsing to the ground from his injury. An Imperial medic ran over, as Naruto attempted to look up, seeing the Imperials chase the remaining Knight forces away, securing the fort. Naruto smiled before losing conscious.

Naruto woke the next day in the hospital tent as Matthew was sitting next to him in the nearby chair.

"Glad to see you're awake," Matthew said. "You'll be happy to know that we won the battle."

"So is the invasion over?" Naruto asked.

"Yep," Matthew replied. "Turns out the remaining forces that got away told their generals what happened and when it was multiple of their invasion force stating the same thing, they called it off and fell back to their ships. Jeff's army entered the city and is now preparing it for anymore invasions."

Jeff was a good friend of Matthew. One of the few officers that Naruto actually thought could one day be the King.

"Yet for you hiding what this boy is capable of," another voice said. "You will be charged with treason and this boy put to death." Matthew groaned as he heard that voice. They looked to see General Phillip enter the tent with a small guard. "This little victory you gained will be given to me." As the guards went over to the two men, another voice stopped them.

"Halt!" Everyone turned to see a man with a more regal army uniform enter. Everyone but Naruto bowed before the man.

"King Smith!" Phillip exclaimed. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I came here to see the battlefield and to see the men who gained this victory," he said.

"I gained this victory," Phillip said. "It was an honor to gain this great victory." Smith just looked at him like he was crazy.

"You did nothing," he said. "You lost us these territories from your stupid tactics. You are hereby fired." He walked past Phillip, who by now was in shock. Smith walked over to Matthew and Naruto. "Matthew, thanks to you, we were able to force the Knights back. You are henceforth promoted to Colonel." He turned to Naruto. "Thanks to your secrets, we captured the fort and forced the Knights out. What is your name young man?"

"Naruto Namikaze," Naruto replied, now using his father's last name. "I'm from a region in the Dragon empire that has people with abilities like mine."

"Interesting," Smith said. "I heard about you when you first arrived, but to see you in person, I must say you're shorter than I expected."

"What will happen now?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I think the rank of SSgt will work for you," Smith said. "You proved to be a strong fighter, but I also see that you may one day lead a strong army of your own. You'll be placed under Matthew's staff as a reconnaissance and fighter officer." Smith turned and walked out. "Matthew, I hope your new command works for you. You earned it for your last victories. Keep it up, you'll be full commander of the Imperial Armies." He walked out the tent, leaving everyone to their own devices.

"I must go," Matthew said. "I'll have you a new uniform ready by tomorrow. Get some rest cause I think we'll be going into battle again real soon." Naruto nodded and drifted off, wondering what was happening back in the Leaf village.

Thousands of miles away, Tsunade was looking through the archives, hoping to find some way to reverse what the Dragon Emperor ruled.

"Any luck?" Danzo asked. While Danzo would normally want to taunt Tsunade, even he would be more direct on him wanting her job. Now, he was helping her get the Leaf Village's independence from their new masters.

"Nothing," Tsunade said. She wasn't the only one looking. Many of the Shinobi Council were looking. "I pray we can find some way to end this."

The Rookies were at the training field having a picnic when Hinata ran over.

"Sorry I'm late," she began. "I had to get away from my so called husband." The others looked down, knowing that she was going to be married by her eighteenth birthday unless they did something to help.

"I just hope Naruto is alright," Sakura said. "He was never found by the Dragon armies and we all know how vast the empire is." The others were all thinking the same thing when another voice called out.

"Hinata!" They all turned to see Toneri walking over. Neji got up between him and Hinata.

"I suggest you leave," Neji said. "This is a private picnic and you are not invited."

"Don't you talk to me like that peasant!" Toneri exclaimed. He reached out, about to attack Neji when Lee got in the way and was hit with the full force of the attack.

"LEE!" Tenten exclaimed. Toneri walked away, but not before walking over to Lee and kicking him in the stomach.

"Weak," he said, heading back to his mansion. As he left, another person jumped from the trees.

"I bring news of Naruto," he said. "He's still alive. In Fact, he helped turn the tide of a war of where he lives now." The others breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Sai," Ino said. "Can you help us get Lee to the hospital?" Sai nodded and went over and picked up Lee, just before he jumped off to the hospital. The others followed, except for Hinata.

"Naruto," she said. "I hope you make it back in time to help me." She followed her friends, thinking of her one true love. Little did Naruto and Hinata know, they would soon be reunited in a few years, on opposite sides in the largest civil war to ever hit the Imperial Empire.


	5. The Imperial Civil War Begins

**Answer to the recent Guest Review**

 **About 13, around the time of canon.**

The next three years were a blur to Naruto. The nation was mostly at peace, barely fighting anything. Recent battles against the Knights when the Imperials were on the offensive ended in victory and more territory. Naruto proved himself over and over, eventually being promoted to a Lieutenant under Matthew's command. King Smith soon became Emperor Smith after changing the title of the rulers of the empire. That all changed when Emperor Smith was assassinated.

It happened so quick, but time froze as the news hit the Imperial forces. What made things worse is that Matthew's cousin, Cole, was quick to gain control of the throne. He began a series of extermination campaigns against other Imperial officers. When word got to the armies, they began to defect and started an open rebellion.

Cole sent his own army against the rebelling soldiers and crushed two of their armies with no mercy. The leaders were rounded up and executed and the remaining soldiers were pressed into Cole's army. This only lead to even more Imperial soldiers defecting.

What hit the nail into the coffin was the fact that Cole had hired mercenaries into his armies. These soldiers had no concept of mercy and killed many civilians just for the fun of it. A trait that they had picked up from their general. The Heir to the Dragon Empire.

It got to the point that many of the Imperial generals, including Matthew and Jeff, had began to openly rebel against Cole, gathering their armies together. They massed in the Southern provinces, Jeff's regions, to prepare for the inevitable battle what was about to take place. Jeff would gather more people to the cause while Matthew would take the forces north to the outskirts of a rail junction to hold off Cole's advance.

"Are you sure about this, Jeff?" Matthew asked. "I've never been a general before, much less the commander of half of the forces we have."

"I'm sure," Jeff replied. "Plus, if anyone can stop Cole's advance, it's your forces. I'm giving you these battalions and ten generals. General Seville, General Takashi, General Willis, General Andrew, General John, General Samuel, General James, General William, General Leon, and General Morgan. Plus, you get to pick out any other officers you need. I will also assign you Naruto Namikaze. I believe you gave him the rank of Colonel after he saved your left flank from falling prey to a Knight ambush, right?"

"Yes," Matthew answered. "I plan on sending his men along with two more armies ahead of my forces to keep Cole occupied."

"Very good," Jeff stated. "I know Cole was your cousin, but you need to put that aside and do what is right. When you're ready, give the order and your force can march to where we talked. After you delay Cole, meet me at least ten miles south. If you hold him off and force his men to run, I'll meet you at your position. Where do you plan on advancing to if you win?"

"At least ten miles north of the rail junction," Matthew replied. "I'll send a telegram to let you know how the battle turned out."

"Very well," Jeff began to walk out of the tent before he turned back to Matthew. "Remember, Andrew is my son. I expect to see him alive when this battle is over." Matthew nodded as Jeff walked out, leaving Matthew to his thoughts. He felt betrayed by his cousin and wanted him to pay, but when he hired mercenaries to do his fighting and killed innocent civilians, he knew that the only way to stop him would be to kill him. He didn't enjoy the thought of killing his own family, but it seemed that it would be that way. Even Cole's little sister was helping Cole take more power.

"What am I going to do?" Matthew said to himself just before walking out the tent himself to meet with his three officers that would be leading the advance party.

It didn't take him long to find them. They were all waiting by the edge of the camp looking north. It was ironic that their forces were south of the capital, but hopefully they would surround it from all sides and end this war soon.

"Naruto, William, James," Matthew began. "I need you three to gather your armies and march them north to the nearby rail junction. I'll bring up the main army and join you three there. Hold Cole off the best you can."

"Right," The three said. While William and James went straight away to their armies, Naruto stayed back.

"Is it true that there are Dragon Empire soldiers in Cole's army?" Naruto wanted to make sure none of them were from his own village, but his hopes were soon dashed as Matthew answered.

"Our spies have informed us that there are," Matthew began. "And yes there are some from where you lived. Luckily, they haven't actually been in the battles yet, but they could be officers, so it's hard to tell. Get your men together and march them north. Just maybe we can end this war after a few quick victories."

As Matthew turned to leave, Naruto couldn't help but feel like he was going to be sick. To think that he might have to fight his old friends. He could only hope that they wouldn't get caught in the crossfire when the battle started.

The next day, Naruto was marching his men onto the battlefield. Williams army had arrived first and was attacked by a large enemy force. He had held them off for two hours before being forced back. James had arrived second and had his men hold the base of a hill until his men were threatened of being cut off and forced back. Now it wa Naruto's turn to hold the line. His men began to run out onto the field before falling into line.

"Do not give one inch of ground to the enemy!" Naruto commanded. "Keep them back until the main army arrives."

Cole's forced began to march in their long lines, the drums beating as they came close. The first wave was mostly the militia groups of Cole's merc army. As they neared Naruto's position, his men opened fire, killing a good portion of them with their rifles. Most of the militia began to flee while others kept marching.

"Fire at will!" Naruto shouted. His men began to fire at a rate of three shots a minute, loading faster than the militia groups, who by now had reached firing distance and opened up, only killing one in ten soldiers. The militia could only get one shot off every minute and could only hit a very small part of Naruto's forces. After five minutes of this stand off, the militia finally broke, running to the rear of Cole's army.

By now, more soldiers were arriving on both sides. Matthew had brought up the main army and began to take positions on the nearby hill. Cole's more elite mercs were marching against Naruto when his men began to charge after the retreating militia. Naruto led his men forward, hoping to force Cole into retreat, but was beginning to be forced back. Suddenly, a rider rode up.

"Matthew wants to know how much longer you can hold." he said. By now, most of Naruto's men were beginning to advance back to the hill, organization lost, but not to the point of panic.

"Tell him I'll join him in a minute." Naruto commanded. The rider rode off as Naruto soon followed. He could only hope that the battle could turn in their favor.

He found Matthew on his force at the head of his army, waiting for him.

"I'm sorry," Naruto began. "We held for as long as we could. William and James were able to keep them off the hill for a few hours, but by the time I got there, Col's whole army had arrived. We were beaten back."

"Well then, Naruto," Matthew replied. "We must give them the bayonet. Move your men in line with us. We'll force them back to the capital."

"Sir!" Naruto exclaimed as he rode back to his men. He arrived as they were beginning to march to the rear slowly. "Rally men, Rally". His soldiers all turned to look at him. Naruto began to feel something, and he hoped that it would help get the men together.

"Look," he said as he pointed his sword at Matthew. "There's our commander just standing there as the bullets and cannonballs continue to miss him. Form up and join him on the hill and gain victory." This next part, Naruto had no idea why he said, but to him, it felt right.

"Rally behind the Emperor and his guard!" As soon as that command was given, Naruto's men cheered and began to rally once again. They ran up the hill and took positions on the extreme left, lining up with General Seville's forces.

Many of the other soldiers had heard Naruto and began to cheer as well. Matthew was in shock, but soon composed himself and had the men be ready for Cole's main thrust. As the mercs made it to the crest of the hill, the rebels opened up a full can of hell on them, forcing some of them back. This went on for another hour until Matthew had given the command that would send Cole packing.

"Charge bayonets!" The entire army charged forward, yelling as the standards ran in front with the officers riding behind. The sight of screaming soldiers frightened a few of the elite soldiers, but the officers ordered a retreat, confused as to why an army that was inferior in their opinion would charge, but what they saw riding down the hill behind the charging infantry was over two hundred cavalry galloping down the hill, sabers waving as they charged ahead. Many of Cole's forces, ran back to the cannons, doing their best to keep from getting shot by friendly fire.

The rebel forces made it to the guns and began a melee fight with many of Cole's regular soldiers that stood guard. The soldiers put up a fight, but in the end, as the rebel flag, a red flag with a blue cross with the Imperial twin sabers in the middle waved back and forth at the gun position, Cole's forces began a full retreat. Matthew soon rode up as many of Cole's forces surrendered or fled the field.

"We actually won," Matthew said to himself. As he rode by, he saw soldiers cry out something he didn't expect.

"Longue vie à l'empereur!" The cheer continued as he rode by to Naruto's position by one of the captured cannons. As Matthew dismounted, he walked over to Naruto.

"What was that about?" Matthew asked.

"I have no idea," Naruto answered. "It just happened, but it had the effect that was needed. The men rallied and were able to beat back Cole's forces with the cry."

"I didn't want this," Matthew countered. Before he could continue, another voice was heard.

"I don't know," They turned to see Jeff walking over. "You did defeat Cole's merc forces and deal a damaging blow with this victory. I'd say that you're more than cut out to be the emperor. Think about it. Emperor James Matthew Cunningham the First. The man who continued Smith's dream. We are at your command, my Emperor." Jeff saluted Matthew as Naruto and the other officers did the same. Matthew nodded, before turning his head to the horizon.

"We'll need the Sword of the Empire," Matthew stated. "After that, we'll begin our march against Cole's main army. It might take months or years, but we will win this." Everyone nodded and left to get to work. Naruto was the only one left as he thought about the battle.

"If Toneri was in command," he said to himself. "Then the others are here as well. At least we weren't fighting against Shikamaru. He would've had this battle turn against us really quick."

 _Meanwhile_

"I can't believe this!" Toneri exclaimed. "We had those rebels on the run. We had the larger army and the better soldiers. Then all of a sudden, this other army shows up and we're forced back. I want to know what happened!"

"It would appear that we didn't take into account their fighting spirit," Shikamaru stated. Every single member of the rookies were forced to be there as well as Gaara's siblings and many others, including Sasuke. While there was a lot of mistrust, they knew it was better to work together than against each other.

"Then find a way to crush that spirit so we can defeat them next time!" Toneri ordered.

"There won't be a next time for you," They turned to see Cole walk in, an angry look on his face. "You're being relieved of your command. You will guard the defenses at Mansburg. Make sure the rebels don't ever take this city. If it falls, it'll be your head. I'm assigning Commander Haslup to command the main army from now on."

As Cole was betreating Toneri, the others all got out and back to the woods at the rear of the camp.

"Did anyone get a good look at the rebel army we faced?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," Kiba replied. "These rebels knew what they were doing. It's like they had an actual commander unlike the others."

"I did get a good look at the rebel officer that was able to rally his men when the main army arrived," Neji said. "Blond hair, blue eyes, and it seemed to me that he had whisker marks on his cheeks."

"NARUTO!" The others exclaimed.

"What's more is what he shouted," Neji continued. "Rally behind the Emperor and his guard. Does this mean that they picked their own emperor or is there something we don't know?"

The others pondered, not sure what to do. Eventually, Hinata spoke up.

"We need to help the rebels," she said. "If we can sabotage how the defenses at Mansburg are placed, maybe they can help get us out of Toneri's grasp as well."

"It might work, but weakening the defenses won't be possible," Temari stated. "Toneri will watch every move we make. Our only hope is for the rebels to find a way to break through and force the defenders to either retreat or surrender." The others all nodded before heading back to the camp. Only Hinata, Lee, Tenten, and Neji remained.

"If Naruto is in command of a rebel army," Lee began. "Then why didn't he just press against us? They had us beat and the his clones, he could've ended Toneri right then and there."

"Only time will tell," Neji replied. As they all walked back, Hinata turned and whispered.

"Naruto," she said. "Please save me before the end of next month. Even if you have to go alone, please save me." Unknown to Hinata, the rebel army was planning on marching out as soon as they could to strike at the weakened loyalist forces and take Mansburg, one way or another, even if it meant fighting one of the largest battles that anyone had ever seen.


	6. The March on Mansburg

After the victory at the rail junction, the rebel army began to gain more and more support. Much of this support came from the actual Imperial Army itself, not happy with the way Cole had handled the situation. Regular civilians were flowing into the camps daily, adding more soldiers to the ranks. There were even soldiers from both the Dragon Empire and The Empire of the Knights, many of them fleeing their homes and joining the rebel army in hopes of finding a new life.

What also made people flock to the rebel cause was the fact that they had chosen an emperor of their own. Add to the fact that this emperor had won the first battle of the war, they were more than willing to follow him. What Naruto had started was the end of the old empire and the rise of a brand new one.

"Is everything set for the attack on Mansburg?" Matthew asked. While he was taking the role of emperor, he needed the famed sword to have a full claim to the title. His soldiers were determined to get it and hopefully kill Cole in the process.

"Our army is ready for the march," James said. "We just have one small problem. The garrison at Fort Cole and a smaller reinforcement army in the nearby village of Phylia. We need to take these out first." Matthew nodded and closed his eyes to think for a moment.

"Are there any volunteers willing to take the fort?" he asked as he opened his eyes. "We'll need to take it by both sea and land. We'd only be able to take one and begin taking the other before the main army arrives to try and stop us."

Despite what it seemed, Cole and Toneri's forces still outnumbered them by a large margin. Matthew had close to 86,000 soldiers in his army while Jeff had the larger force of 114,000 men, mostly due to his job of keeping Cole's main army off of Matthew's force until it was ready with enough men to outnumber Cole. Cole's personal army was around 112,000 men with Toneri still in charge of 95,000 of his Dragon Mercenaries and 90,000 regular Imperial soldiers.

However, Toneri had spread his men out in hopes of catching the rebels with the hopes that one of his groups can hold them in place for the others to arrive and crush them. Rebel spies and scouts had reported everything they could about the defenses and reported that Toneri had spread his men out too thin and too far to provide support, giving Matthew the opportunity to take Mansburg and deal a crushing blow to Cole.

It wasn't long before Captain Wilkes stepped up.

"My marines can take the fort by sea," he said. "We just need support with maybe one or two divisions on land to help keep the garrison from retreating."

"I'll assign General Seville's men to that task," Matthew replied. "The rest of us will march between the fort and Phylia and cut off their reinforcements. Are there any questions?" No one said a word as Matthew wrote down a letter to Jeff.

"Send this to Jeff," Matthew commanded to one of his aides. "As for everyone else, prepare to move out. We march at dawn." Everyone saluted and left the tent. As Naruto walked over to his, he looked north to the city.

"Shikamaru," he began. "I hope you can find a way to stop this battle. If anything, just make it to where we can march into the city with as little resistance as possible." He walked into his tent and retired for the night.

In Mansburg Royal Tavern, Shikamaru was looking at the maps with others. Toneri had assigned him to prepare the defenses of Mansburg and the surrounding area. While Toneri had told Cole the idea to split his army was his idea, in actuality, it was Shikamaru and Temari that had done it, giving all the information they could to rebel spies so they could break through and defeat Toneri.

"Are you sure this will work, Shikamaru?" Temari asked.

"I hope so," Shikamaru replied. "If he finds out we're doing this, it will mean all our heads rolling." The others nodded. One of them had already told Toneri off and was sent with one of the deployed regiments as punishment. When the battle was over, Toneri would kill him.

"Which position did he send Lee to?" Neji asked, worried about his teammate. Tenten was a wreck when Toneri charged him with treason and had him placed in one of the frontline regiments.

"I'm afraid he was placed in the force at Phylia," Shino stated. "And I believe in the path of the rebel armies advance."

As he finished, Tenten ran out of the tavern, the others following suite. They got outside just in time to see her mount one of the horses they were given and ride off, leaving a dust cloud in her wake.

"I hope she can make it in time," Kida muttered. "Let's hope that Hinata will be ok at town hall by herself as well."

"If Toneri tries anything," Kankuro agreed. "We kill him ourselves." The others all nodded and went back to their rooms, hoping the next day will come soon.

The next day, the rebels were awoken early and began their march. The Marines and Seville's forces had left the night before and by now, would already be attacking Fort Cole. Matthew was at the head of the army, leading his personal guard with Naruto and Takeru on his flanks. His entire force was ready for this encounter, having been bolstered by another 8,000 men from Jeff's army and an additional 10,000 from defectors to Cole's forces, now giving him a total of 104,000 men, but they were still outnumbers by Toneri's 185,000 army.

The rebel army marched on, coving enough ground to keep on the flank of the force attacking the fort. As they neared the crossroads, one of Seville's rides approached.

"General Seville sends his compliments," the rider said. "They've taken the fort with almost no casualties. The garrison surrendered after the navy blew a few holes in the wall. Most of the soldiers were criminals, but the regular soldiers joined with us."

"How many?" Matthew asked.

"Around 2,000," the rider continued. "All members of the 5th Imperial Guard regiment. With them is around five hundred cannons."

Matthew nodded, his face brightening up. Now he had more artillery than Cole and he was prepared to use that to his full advantage.

"Tell Seville and Wilkes to meet us one mile south of Phylia," Matthew began. "We can force Toneri out of the city by advancing on the nearest position." The rider saluted and rode off. Matthew continued the march, soon arriving at the rendezvous by afternoon, the army ready to rest. The rebels began to set up their camp as some scouts went out to gather more intel and supplies from the locals.

Unlike Cole, Matthew sent men out to purchase the supplies. If no one was willing to give them the supplies, they were left alone and the group would move on to the next house.

In the Imperial camp, Lee was sitting in the stockades that had been built. Many of the soldiers were militia from his home, but they had treated him bad to the point he could barely walk. He was about to doze off again when he heard the guards groan, all on the ground from kunai wounds. Lee looked and saw Tenten grabbing the key from one of the guards and go over to his cell.

"Tenten!" Lee exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm busting you out," Tenten explained. She opened the door and helped Lee out. They began to leave from the back of the camp, moving into the swamp east of the town. It was the only way for them to escape, as Toneri had not planned on any force coming from the swamp so he had left no guards on that side of his camp. To him, only a fool would even lead his men through a swamp.

As they began to head for the town, one of Toneri's soldiers spotted them.

"Prisoner escape!" he shouted. Tenten put Lee on her back and ran to Phylia, around ten of the camps guards ran after them. Tenten took to jumping onto the rooftops, not caring if people saw her. Her main goal was to get Lee to safety.

As she jumped down, she was soon surrounded by forty more of the camps soldiers. As they were about to kill them, gunshots were heard. Many of the camps soldiers were killed as others began to fall back, only to be attacked by the locals. Tenten sat Lee down as on of their rescuers rode up.

"Tenten!" They looked up to see Naruto. "Bushy Brows! What are you two doing here?" Lee smiled at Naruto.

"Glad to see you're still alive," Lee said, his voice still cracking from no food or water. Naruto waved over for a medic, instructing the medic to take Lee back to their camp. Tenten went back with Lee as naruto rode over to Matthew's tent.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Emperor Cunningham," Naruto began. "But we have some people in the medical tent you need to see."

Matthew nodded and followed Naruto to where Tenten and Lee were sitting. Naruto went in first, nodding to his old friends. He opened the tent for Matthew to walk in, allowing them to finally see the person who had beaten Toneri's forces at the rail junction.

"Allow me to introduce, Emperor James Matthew Cunningham," Naruto said. "He treated me well when I first arrived so there's a good chance he'll treat you the same. This is Rock Lee and Tenten." Matthew bowed to Naruto's friends as they were introduced.

"Naruto tells me that you helped him escape the village," Matthew began. "I'd like to say welcome, but we're pressed for time, we need to find a way to end this war, but we need the city of Mansburg before we can do anything else."

"We'd be willing to help," Tenten stated. "They seem to think that you'll only attack from the front. The swamp area is undefended." Matthew nodded as he thought the idea over. "There's something else. Naruto, Hinata is also at Mansburg, She really needs your help. By the end of the month, Toneri is going to force Hinata to marry him, even before she's eighteen."

Naruto's eyes widened as he heard the news. His whisker marks began to darken as his expression turned from shock to anger.

"We need to stop them before it's too late," Naruto said. "We need to attack their camp now and force Toneri's army out into the open. We can win like before"

"I have another plan," Matthew argued. Toneri most likely knows we're here now. Let's smash his men as they arrive onto the field. We can take out the camp and then as his men arrive, defeat them before they can get fully ready. Naruto, prepare your men. I need you to lead Seville and Wilkes to the swamp. If he thinks no army will march in it, let's give him a surprise."

The next few hours were busy as the rebels marched through the town and began their attack on the camp. Rebel forces maintained their formations as Toneri's forces scattered around trying to maintain order, but nothing was working. Toneri's forces were defeated and soon, rebel forces were in position as Toneri's main army, 150,000 men, arrived onto the field. Due to the size, only a few groups were able to form up for the attack.

Just as Matthew planned, Toneri's forces were soon being smashed. To be fair, he was still only sending up militia forces, but even when he had sent in an experienced regiment with them, they too fell victim to the rebel fire.

Toneri could only watch as his men were being defeated. As he was about to order the next group to attack, he heard the sound of gunshots to the rear. It was then that he realized that he had been outflanked. His rearguard had began to flee back to Mansburg as rebel forces came out of the swamp, surprising many more of Toneri's army. To make matters worse, the main army began to charge forward, scattering his already defeated army. Toneri fled the field, ready to kill Shikamaru for his failed strategy in the defense.

As the battle ended, losses for the rebels were close to 3,000 killed and another 7,000 wounded. Toneri had lost the fort, town, and close to 125,000 men were either killed, wounded, captured, or fled the field, hoping to make it to one of the other camps.

Tenten and Lee were waiting to hear what happened when Naruto walked in.

"We won!" he exclaimed. "I guess it was Shikamaru that helped weaken the defenses." Tenten and Lee nodded. "I bet Toneri isn't going to be happy when he gets back to Mansburg." They laughed at the thought of Toneri throwing a temper tantrum.

"There's also something else," Matthew said as he walked in the medical tent. "Cole has been dealt a major blow to his war effort. The road to Mansburg is now open for us to capture and wipe out the major bit of resistance in this area and hopefully bring about an end to this war much quicker."

"I also learned something else that might help us," Lee stated. "Toneri is also wanting the throne for himself. He had sent some men to bring some sword to him. It was at the camp that I was imprisoned at."

"You mean this sword?" Seville asked, walking up to them, the same sword in his hands.

"Yes, that's the sword," Lee replied.

"This is the sword that is needed to help chose the next emperor," Seville explained. "Allow me to present this to you, my Emperor," Seville presented the sword to Matthew. Matthew placed his hand on the hilt and lifted the sword. All of a sudden, a bright light emitted from the sword, filling the tent with positive feelings of victory, hope, and a new future. As it died down, Matthew placed the sword in its scabbard, now truly looking like an emperor.

"What's our next goal?" Naruto asked. "We need to take Mansburg as soon as we can."

"Rally the men," Matthew began. "At dawn, me march to the city. I want all artillery we have ready to shell the defenses. Force any remaining soldier loyal to Toneri out of the city and raise our banner on the town hall. Tomorrow marks the end of Cole's Empire ad the birth of a new one."

The others all saluted and smiled. From that point on, it seemed only good things could happen now.

Unknown to the rebel armies, Toneri had just arrived at Mansburg, his sword drawn as he neared where the others were staying. As soon as he walked in, he noticed that they were gone, except for Shikamaru, Temari, and Sasuke.

"You three are under arrest for treason to the crown of the Dragon Empire!" He exclaimed as his men marched in to arrest them. As Toneri was about to grab Shikamaru, Sasuke got in front and blocked him. "I'll kill you."

Toneri brought out his sword and swung at Sasuke. Sasuke blocked, as a fight broke out in the tavern. Many of the Imperial soldiers that were resting there saw what was happening and decided to end it. They grabbed their weapons and opened fire on some of Toneri's mercs. As the fight got worse, more men from both groups ran in and fought each other.

Toneri soon knocked Sasuke's sword out of his hands. As Sasuke stood in shock, Toenri swung and cut off Sasuke's left arm. As Sasuke cried out in pain, Shikamaru decided enough was enough.

"Stop!" He shouted. "I'll go with you. Just leave the others alone." Toneri nodded and had some men take him away along with all the Imperials that had attacked them.

"Shikamaru!" Temari yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Doing the right thing," he replied. "I'm sorry. This needed to stop." As Toneri walked out, he motioned for his men to bring the prisoners. As Shikamaru was about to be taken out, Temari ran up and attacked the guards, only to be captured herself.

Sakura and Ino ran over, trying to figure out what was going on. When they arrived, they saw their friends being taken away. Before they could stop them, Toneri had the prison cart race off, him at the head, going for the fortress prison in the center of the city. Sakura ran inside, only to scream as she saw Sasuke on the ground, his arm bleeding out. Sakura quickly got to work, doing her best to heal Sasuke.

"Don't you die on me," she said, Ino wiping the sweat from her forehead. This went on for a few minutes until Sakura had stopped the bleeding, allowing them to get him to a hospital that would treat the injury the rest of the way.

At Town Hall, Hinata was looking out, smoke in the distance from what she was hoping to be the rebel army advancing on the city. The closer they got, the sooner she would be free. All the reports that came in so far was that of retreat for Toneri's forces and that the rebels had wiped out most of his army. Now victory for Hinata gaining her freedom looked bright.

As she was about to go to bed, Toneri burst into her room.

"I've upped the date of our wedding," he said. Hinata froze, not sure what that meant. "Tomorrow night, you will be my wife, one way or another." he walked out, fear gripping her heart. She broke down in tears, now believing her fate would be doomed.

"Please hurry Naruto," she cried. "Please save me. I pray you can be here before it happens."

Neji heard the entire exchange from his room next to hers.

"If Toneri wants Hinata," he said to himself. "He'll have to kill me first. Naruto, you better hurry up."

 **Author: The rebels now have a major time limit. Will Hinata be rescued?**

 **Naruto: She better be.**

 **Author: Just wait and find out.**


	7. Author's Note

Just recently, I received a review telling people like me to go die faster. I do not tolerate those type of reviews. I don't care if you hate my idea. I don't care if you hate my characters. I'm part of the Thomas the Tank Engine Fandom and the My Little Pony fandom. Many times I encounter people who tell me to go and die.

I will not listen to people like that. I have one up on every single one of them. I'm on my way to writing a very nice ghost story (based on one of my fanfics). I'm married, woking on a degree in History to further my knowledge. I enjoy people telling me what needs fixed with my writing and what could be different.

On FimFiction, I have over 200 followers (some of course aren't on there anymore), but they've all given me some very great advice on writing and more and more, I work to improve. Many of the brony's I've talked to on that site have also become what I call, friends. We may not talk all the time, but we all share ideas and help each other.

While I've seen people be toxic in many fandoms, it does seem that the Naruto fandom is the worse. Bash because of pairings, hate for different ideas and Alternate universe, and so forth.

Don't worry. I won't be taking this story down. I've worked too hard on this idea. Just letting you'll know, I won't listen to those that tell me to go and die. Besides, it just goes to show that people like that have no life.

Oh, and if the review gets taken down, don't worry. I have it saved so if you ever want to know what it is, I'll send it via PM.

Until the next chapter, this is Darth Redbeard, signing off.


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